May, 02 2019, 12:00am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Paul Kawika Martin, Peace Action, 951-217-7285 cell, pmartin@peace-action.org
Gabe Murphy, Peace Action, 510-501-3345 cell, gmurphy@peaceaction.org
WASHINGTON
Ahead of a Senate vote on the question of overriding President Trump's veto of S.J.Res. 7, legislation directing the president to withdraw U.S. support for the war in Yemen, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Peace Action, released the following statement:
"Congress' persistence in the face of the president's veto is admirable. Successful or not, every congressional effort to end our involvement in Yemen puts more pressure on Saudi Arabia to end the war. While proponents of a responsible and just foreign policy have so far fallen short of ending our nation's complicity in this war, their organizing has put the future of U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia on thin ice, incentivizing Saudi Arabia to change its conduct and negotiate in good faith. At the same time, grassroots efforts to end U.S. involvement in Yemen are foregrounding a critical debate on our nation's foreign policy in Yemen and beyond in the lead up to the 2020 election.
"As U.S. support for this war continues, 14 million Yemenis facing war-induced starvation may wonder which U.S. national interests their protracted suffering serve, or which interests justify their suffering as acceptable collateral damage. The 75 percent of Americans who oppose U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen may wonder the same.
"While this vote marks the end of the road for the Yemen war powers resolution, it does not relieve Congress of its responsibility to act. Congress has a moral duty to continue pushing for an end to U.S. military involvement in Yemen, whether by blocking funding for the war, or blocking arms sales to members of the Saudi-led coalition. The American people, the Constitution and basic human decency demand action."
Peace Action is the United States' largest peace and disarmament organization with over 100,000 members and nearly 100 chapters in 34 states, works to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons, promote government spending priorities that support human needs and encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights.
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